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Santa Monica College: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Santa Monica College asks for a course-by-course evaluation from one of its listed credential evaluation agencies when you want foreign coursework credited toward an SMC associate degree; for F-1 admission it asks you to upload records from your last school and publishes no translation rule. SMC's evaluation agencies, such as Foreign Credentials Service of America, IERF and WES, accept certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. The translation comes first, because the agency needs it before it can evaluate a record not in English; SMC's Admissions Office then reviews the agency's report.
Credit, not admission
An evaluation only counts foreign courses toward an SMC degree.
Four preferred agencies
FCSA, IEES, Evaluation Service and Transcript Research.
Upload only
International applicants cannot send paper documents.
SMC requirements at a glance
| What SMC asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation | No SMC rule found. The international application asks for records from the last school attended, uploaded online, with no translation instruction (International students: submit documents). |
| Evaluation for admission | Not listed among the F-1 admission documents (International students: submit documents). |
| Evaluation for credit | Course-by-course, with the US semester-unit equivalent and a grade for each course; reviewed by the Admissions Office and sometimes the department chair (Foreign coursework transcript evaluation). |
| Agencies | Strongly preferred (AACRAO recognized): Foreign Credentials Service of America, International Educational Equivalency Evaluation Services, Evaluation Service, Inc., and Transcript Research. Also acceptable: ACEI, AERC, IERF, SpanTran and WES (Foreign coursework transcript evaluation). |
| Where to upload | In the online international application; paper documents are not accepted. US high school and college transcripts must come directly from the school (International students: submit documents). |
| Timing | Documents uploaded by the application deadline (Spring 2027: January 5 from outside the US, January 15 from inside); processing takes 4 to 6 weeks (documents, international students). |
| Limits on foreign credit | Foreign courses cannot meet the American History and Government or English Composition general education areas (Foreign coursework transcript evaluation). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. SMC asks for a course-by-course report from a listed agency to credit foreign coursework (foreign coursework evaluation), and FCSA, one of its four strongly preferred agencies, accepts translations from most professional agencies in the US or abroad (FCSA rule); IERF and WES, on its acceptable list, take professional translations too. Policy checked on October 12, 2026. |
Checked on October 12, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on SMC's own page before you submit.
An evaluation only if you want credit
For F-1 admission, SMC asks only for records from the last school you attended, uploaded with the online application (International students: submit documents). It publishes no rule about translating them; if yours are not in English, ask the International Education Center whether to upload a translation with them.
The evaluation comes in only if you want foreign college courses counted toward an SMC associate degree. Then the courses must first be evaluated course by course by an approved agency, with semester units and a grade for each, and then reviewed by the Admissions Office (Foreign coursework transcript evaluation). SMC suggests seeing a counselor first, because evaluating many units can delay your enrollment, and English Composition or American History and Government taken abroad will not count toward those requirements.
What each evaluation agency asks for the translation
Foreign Credentials Service of America, the first agency on SMC's preferred list, asks for a certified English translation, accepts one from most professional agencies in the US or abroad, and lets you, a friend or a relative translate documents in Spanish; it does not translate. IERF wants typed, line-by-line, word-for-word translations in the same format as the original and may ask for professional ones. WES wants a word-for-word translation by a professional translator, uploaded in your WES account, and does not accept translations made by applicants.
Two agencies on SMC's acceptable list are stricter: ACEI takes translations made in the US only from ATA-certified translators, and ones made abroad only from licensed translators who give their license number; SpanTran, now The Evaluation Company, takes an outside translation only from an ATA-certified translator. eVerbary can assign a translator individually certified by ATA on request, through a free quote. The rules of IEES, Evaluation Service, Transcript Research and AERC are not covered here; check with the agency before you order the translation.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Transcript or mark sheets from the last school you attended, for the international application
- The diploma or leaving certificate from that school
- College or university transcripts, all years, for a course-by-course evaluation
- Degree certificates, for the evaluation agency
What an eVerbary translation includes
- A complete English translation of every page, stamps, seals and handwritten notes included, laid out like the original so each line can be matched.
- Grades exactly as recorded, with the grading scale the document prints. We never convert marks to a US GPA.
- A signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead, with our contact details, delivered as a PDF you can upload.
- $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included; 24 hours for one to three pages as standard. Regular clients who need it can get delivery in as little as 30 minutes, on request.
Uploading the translation to SMC
For admission, everything is uploaded in the online international application; SMC asks you not to mail documents (International students: submit documents). Uploaded documents become SMC property.
For credit, the translation goes to the evaluation agency with your transcripts. SMC's page does not say how the report should reach it; ask the agency to send it to the Admissions Office, and confirm with a counselor first (Foreign coursework transcript evaluation).
What we do not do
eVerbary is a translation service, not a credential evaluation service: we do not issue evaluations, US equivalencies or GPA conversions, and we cannot send documents on behalf of the school that issued them. For SMC that means we translate your foreign records for the evaluation agency (and for the application, if the International Education Center asks for one); the course-by-course evaluation is ordered from the agency after the translation.
How to order
- Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
- Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
- Receive the PDF, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages, and upload it with the copy of the original wherever the institution asks for it.
Sources
Santa Monica College's own pages, read on October 12, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors (IIE), community colleges hosting the most international students in 2023/24: number 4, with 1,796 students.
- International students: submit documents (smc.edu)
- International students
- Foreign coursework transcript evaluation
- FCSA: the FCSA edge (translations)
- IERF: required documentation
- WES: translation requirements for a WES evaluation
- ACEI: required documents
- The Evaluation Company: avoid delays with your evaluation
Frequently asked questions
Does SMC require a certified translation to apply as an F-1 student?
SMC's international pages ask you to upload records from your last school and publish no translation rule (International students: submit documents). Ask the International Education Center before uploading records not in English.
Do I need a WES evaluation to be admitted to SMC?
No. An evaluation is not listed for admission; it is needed only to credit foreign courses toward an SMC associate degree (Foreign coursework transcript evaluation).
Which evaluation agencies does SMC accept for foreign course credit?
Strongly preferred: FCSA, IEES, Evaluation Service, Inc. and Transcript Research. Also acceptable: ACEI, AERC, IERF, SpanTran and WES. Reports must be course-by-course (Foreign coursework transcript evaluation).
Can I mail my transcripts to SMC?
No. International applicants upload documents in the online application; paper is not accepted. US transcripts must come directly from the school (International students: submit documents).
Will my English composition course from abroad count at SMC?
No. Foreign coursework cannot meet the English Composition or American History and Government general education areas (Foreign coursework transcript evaluation).
Will eVerbary convert my grades to a US GPA?
No. The translation reproduces the grades and the grading scale exactly as they appear. A GPA conversion is credential evaluation, which the institution or an evaluation agency does.
Translating documents for SMC?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.